Post by Fewms on Oct 2, 2009 1:53:40 GMT
Written in ink:
~View From the Palace: Case for the Citizenship Jurisdiction Law~
By: Echo Chamber
The Magisterial College has recently approved a proposed law, and moved it to the citizen ratification phase of legislation. The proposed law is simple, with the text being "All the privileges, restrictions and protections granted under Klatchian Law follow citizens of Klatch where ever they go, and are not restricted merely to the confines of the Klatchian Domain, except where this right is abridged by treaty with a recognized foreign council." As a magistrate I implore you to vote for this, this law is useful and most worthy of being ratified and added to our existing legislation.
So why should you vote for it? Allow me to turn this question on its head and ask why not vote for it? So far the only cogent argument has been that this law "changes nothing" and "is not necessary" for the future development of Klatch. Here I do not disagree, it, in fact, doesn't change anything. We have always afforded our citizens the protection of our law wherever they may be, whether they are in the most nether reaches of the Shades, the high peaks of Lancre, or in the far-off Aurient they are as well protected as if they were in the Avenue of the Pharoahs in Khot-Lip-Khin (as its proper spoken name is in our tongue,) or in the Slouching Gardens of Ephebe. But, is not a written law infinitely more superior to an unwritten law? A written law has the benefit of being widely published and known to all who take even the most cursory glance at our legal system. An unwritten law, on the other hand, may be enforced on an equal (as it has been here) level, but someone must first become acquainted with our customs and laws to know of its existence, something which a vast majority of Morporkian Heathens, and, sadly, a small minority of our own populace, do not. This then removes one of the main benefits of law, it's prophylactic nature, a violation of a law is far less likely to occur if the would-be transgressor knows about the law, or in this case our protection of the citizenry, and this would protect, by its nature our citizenry, and also leave the council's time free to work with other matters involving our Grand Klatchian Experiment.
The nay-sayers than recourse to the most vague argument of all, "legislative minimalism." Seemingly defending their earlier position solely out of honour, and not out of wisdom they forget that the maxim of legislative minimalism is not "There should be no law which is not strictly and absolutely necessary" but rather "There should be no law which is not useful to the citizenry of the council, and the council as a whole." Surely if we accept the former statement as true a rather cogent argument could be made that the laws regarding theft and corpse looting are unnecessary because they could easily be handled under law 301! But no one denies that the corpse looting law is effective and beneficial to the people of Klatch, because it provides clear and evident protection for those within Klatch. The same situation exists with the proposed law, though it is not strictly necessary, and it will not, in effect, change anything, it will provide a written and easily accessible statement of our previous policy, and will produce only a beneficial effects because of the added preventative effect of the public law.
This, my fellow citizens, is why we should vote for this proposed law. For the benefit of Klatchian Society as a whole, and for the greater glory of our Divine Emperor let us hope it is passed.
-Echo Chamber is a Magistrate of Klatch, was the First Nawab of the Treasury, and is Editor in Chief of Papyrus.
~View From the Palace: Case for the Citizenship Jurisdiction Law~
By: Echo Chamber
The Magisterial College has recently approved a proposed law, and moved it to the citizen ratification phase of legislation. The proposed law is simple, with the text being "All the privileges, restrictions and protections granted under Klatchian Law follow citizens of Klatch where ever they go, and are not restricted merely to the confines of the Klatchian Domain, except where this right is abridged by treaty with a recognized foreign council." As a magistrate I implore you to vote for this, this law is useful and most worthy of being ratified and added to our existing legislation.
So why should you vote for it? Allow me to turn this question on its head and ask why not vote for it? So far the only cogent argument has been that this law "changes nothing" and "is not necessary" for the future development of Klatch. Here I do not disagree, it, in fact, doesn't change anything. We have always afforded our citizens the protection of our law wherever they may be, whether they are in the most nether reaches of the Shades, the high peaks of Lancre, or in the far-off Aurient they are as well protected as if they were in the Avenue of the Pharoahs in Khot-Lip-Khin (as its proper spoken name is in our tongue,) or in the Slouching Gardens of Ephebe. But, is not a written law infinitely more superior to an unwritten law? A written law has the benefit of being widely published and known to all who take even the most cursory glance at our legal system. An unwritten law, on the other hand, may be enforced on an equal (as it has been here) level, but someone must first become acquainted with our customs and laws to know of its existence, something which a vast majority of Morporkian Heathens, and, sadly, a small minority of our own populace, do not. This then removes one of the main benefits of law, it's prophylactic nature, a violation of a law is far less likely to occur if the would-be transgressor knows about the law, or in this case our protection of the citizenry, and this would protect, by its nature our citizenry, and also leave the council's time free to work with other matters involving our Grand Klatchian Experiment.
The nay-sayers than recourse to the most vague argument of all, "legislative minimalism." Seemingly defending their earlier position solely out of honour, and not out of wisdom they forget that the maxim of legislative minimalism is not "There should be no law which is not strictly and absolutely necessary" but rather "There should be no law which is not useful to the citizenry of the council, and the council as a whole." Surely if we accept the former statement as true a rather cogent argument could be made that the laws regarding theft and corpse looting are unnecessary because they could easily be handled under law 301! But no one denies that the corpse looting law is effective and beneficial to the people of Klatch, because it provides clear and evident protection for those within Klatch. The same situation exists with the proposed law, though it is not strictly necessary, and it will not, in effect, change anything, it will provide a written and easily accessible statement of our previous policy, and will produce only a beneficial effects because of the added preventative effect of the public law.
This, my fellow citizens, is why we should vote for this proposed law. For the benefit of Klatchian Society as a whole, and for the greater glory of our Divine Emperor let us hope it is passed.
-Echo Chamber is a Magistrate of Klatch, was the First Nawab of the Treasury, and is Editor in Chief of Papyrus.